Jesus in a Wheelchair

By Chaplain Stephen C. Petrovich and Judy Grupp

“Jesus in a Wheelchair” is a compassionate look at the lives of residents and essential workers at nursing home facilities. Chaplain Steve captures the heart of the matter “that each of us is significant regardless of age, race or physical/mental ability.” Recognizing a need to show brotherly love to his fellowman, Chaplain Steve captures the needs of seniors with simple yet profound stories, poems and songs allowing the reader access into their hearts, revealing the frailties common to an aging population.

Read this book and be transformed to see yourself through a new lens, where the plight of the elderly, a mountain each of us hope to climb, will change your mindset forever about senior citizens and the essential workers that assist in their journey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664265394

Chaplain Stephen C. Petrovich

Stephen Charles Petrovich (Chaplain Steve) was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1961. Disenfranchised with faith after 12 years of Catholic school, he fell into the pitfalls of addictive behaviors. In 1985, at the age of 24, Steve came to a saving knowledge of Christ after hearing a testimony from Randy Cutlip, a touring keyboardist for the musical group Three Dog Night. He attended Gary Whetstone’s School of Biblical Studies in 1999 and was ordained to preach the gospel. In 2005 Chaplain Steve answered a call to leave his hometown of Baltimore and relocate to Rochester, New York, for ministry with his family. He’s since preached and led evangelistic music services in Rochester, New York, Baltimore, Maryland, Canton, Pennsylvania, Eutaw, Alabama, Mission, South Dakota, and Cambridge, Jamaica. He is an author, music director, senior citizen entertainer, and multi-instrumentalist (vocals, guitar, banjo, organ, bass, and harmonica). Steve has written original music for eight self-released projects, including the acclaimed International Courage Lion Program with over 90,000 units donated to critically ill, traumatized, and abused children in medical treatment facilities throughout the United States and Canada. As an entertainer for senior citizens, he plays oldies music infusing new life into each song by including movement and light exercise. “Move & Groove w/Steve” can be accessed through YouTube or in-person 16 times a month at various nursing and retirement homes. Steve is happily married to his wife Ruth Evelyn, a proud father of 4 and grandpa to 11. He spends his working hours as as a chaplain at The Highlands Living Center in Pittsford, New York.

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 Chaplain Stephen C. Petrovich.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Interior Image Credit: Judy Grupp

Photography by Jose Seda

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982

by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6538-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6539-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022908076

WestBow Press rev. date: 07/28/2022

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

A Mountain Flower

Jesus in a Wheelchair

Red River Valley Remembrance

This Side of Heaven

The Language of Hands

Stripped Bare

Riddles of the Heart

Don’t Forget Our Love

Drawn to Her Personhood

Too Far Gone

Environmental Services

Four Letters to Freedom

From One Soul to Another

I Kissed Heaven

A Nurse’s Blessing

A Lightning Bolt Experience

Love You Just the Same

Seeing Eye to Eye

Mother-Daughter Love

Once

A Seed, a Tree, an Axe, and Heaven

Sacred Love

The Best of Who You Are

A Love Like Theirs

The Bumps in the Road

The Joy of Solitude

A Thousand Goodbyes

A Social Worker’s Tribute

You’re Transforming Me

Amazing

Acknowledgements

Many thanks are necessary to the special people in my life. But 1st and foremost, I want to thank Jesus Christ for the gift of salvation, the inspiration of literature, and the guidance into the chaplaincy.

To my wife: I love you, Evelyn (MRS.